Methods, systems, and computer program products for presenting a message on a display based on a type of video image data for presentation on the display

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and computer program products for a message on a display based on a type of video image data for presentation on the display are described. An indication of one of a plurality of priority levels associated with a message for presentation on a display is received. Whether a type of a video image data for presentation on the display has a predetermined relationship to the priority level of the message is determined. The message is presented on the display based on the video image data type determination.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 7,962,932 titled“METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PRESENTING AMESSAGE ON A DISPLAY BASED ON VIDEO FRAME TYPES PRESENTED ON THEDISPLAY”, filed on Sep. 27, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is hereincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to presenting messages on adisplay. More particularly, the subject matter described herein relatesto methods, systems, and computer program products for presentingmessages on a display based on a type of video image data presented onthe display.

BACKGROUND

Devices are becoming increasingly networked together for exchangingdata, messages, video, and audio. For example, many households includewireless and/or wired local area networks for exchanging informationamong local devices. Exemplary devices that may be connected in anetwork environment include computers, mobile phones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), home appliances (e.g., washing machines, dishwashers,hot water heaters, ovens, and stoves), and security alarm devices.

One advantage of networking devices is that a user located at anetworked device may receive messages communicated from other devicesconnected to the network. For example, a networked device may generate amessage and communicate the message to the network for receipt by thedevice where the user is located. The message may be presented to theuser on a display, such as a computer display or a television. In oneexample, the message may be presented on a display in a pop-up window.As a result, a user may be notified of messages from networked deviceson a display.

One difficulty with presenting a message on a display is that videobeing presented on the display may be interrupted. For example, amessage may interrupt presentation of a television program or movie on adisplay. As a result, a user may disable the presentation of allmessages on the display due to continuous interruptions. The disablingof all messages is undesirable because the user may not be able tootherwise receive important messages such as messages related tosecurity alarm devices and warnings with respect to appliances.

Accordingly, in light of the above described difficulties and needs,there exists a need for improved methods, systems, and computer programproducts for presenting messages on a display.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, methods, systems, and computer program productsfor presenting a message on a display based on a type of video imagedata for presentation on the display are described. An indication of oneof a plurality of priority levels associated with a message forpresentation on a display is received. Whether a type of a video imagedata for presentation on the display has a predetermined relationship tothe priority level of the message is determined. The message ispresented on the display based on the video image data typedetermination.

As used herein, the term “message” refers to any suitable message forpresentation on a display. The message may include text and/or one ormore images for conveying information to a user of the display. Further,the message may be in a format suitable for presentation on the displaywith a video frame. Exemplary information that may be included in amessage includes status information, alert information, reminderinformation, warning information, and calendar information.

As used herein, the term “video frame” refers to image data for use by asystem for presenting one or more images on a display. A set of videoframes may be communicated in sequence to a display for presenting videoto a user. Video frames may be compressed in video compression formatssuch as in accordance with one of the International TelecommunicationUnion (ITU) video standards (such as ITU-T) or one of the Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) video standards (such as MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-3, orMPEG-4). Exemplary video frame types include intra-frames (I-frames),predicted frames (P-frames), and bi-directional or b-predictive frames(B-frames).

As used herein, the term “display” refers to any device suitable fordisplaying a video frame or a sequence of video frames. Further, thedisplay may be operable to display a video frame with a message.Exemplary displays include a television and a computer display ormonitor.

The subject matter described herein may be implemented using a computerprogram product comprising computer executable instructions embodied ina computer-readable medium. Exemplary computer-readable media suitablefor implementing the subject matter described herein include chip memorydevices, disk memory devices, programmable logic devices, applicationspecific integrated circuits, and downloadable electrical signals. Inaddition, a computer-readable medium that implements the subject matterdescribed herein may be located on a single device or computing platformor may be distributed across multiple devices or computing platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the subject matter described herein will now beexplained with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for presenting amessage on a display based on video frame types presented on the displayaccording to the subject matter described herein;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for presenting a messageon a display based on video frame types presented on the displayaccording to an embodiment of the subject matter described herein; and

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for use by thesystem shown in FIG. 1 for presenting a message on a display based on avideo frame types presented on the display according to an embodiment ofthe subject matter described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter described herein includes methods, systems, andcomputer program products for presenting a message on a display based onvideo frame types presented on the display. According to one aspect, asystem according to the subject matter described herein may beimplemented as hardware, software, and/or firmware components executingon one or more components of a system configured to present video andmessages on a display. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system100 for presenting a message on a display based on video frame typespresented on the display according to the subject matter describedherein. Referring to FIG. 1, system 100 may receive messages and videoframes for presentation on a display 102. For example, system 100 mayreceive a message 104 from a media player 106 via a network 108. Inanother example, system 100 may receive a message from an appliance 110.In another example, system 100 may receive a message from a computer112. Other exemplary devices for communicating messages to system 100include a phone such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a washing machine, akitchen appliance, a network component, a security alarm device, and anyother suitable electronic device.

The received messages may be associated with one of a plurality ofpriority levels. System 100 may include means for receiving a messagehaving one of a plurality of priority levels for presentation on adisplay. For example, a message handler 114 of system 100 may beconfigured to receive messages having one of a plurality of prioritylevels for presentation on display 102. As described further herein, thepriority level of a message may be indicated by information contained inthe message, indicated by a device communicating the message, andcombinations thereof. Message handler 114 may be configured to checkthat a received message is complete and that the source of the messageis valid. Further, message handler 114 may be configured to storereceived messages and/or forward complete and valid messages to adisplay controller 116 for further processing and/or storage.

System 100 may be configured to receive video frames for presentation ona display 102. For example, video frames 118 may be communicated tosystem 100 by a video store 120 and a video decoder 122. Video store 120may be configured to store video frames. Video decoder 122 may beconfigured to suitably decode the video frames for presentation ondisplay 102. Video frames 118 may be received in a sequence forpresentation on display 102 in a video stream. Further, system 100 maybe configured to manage and store video frames 118 and control display102 for presentation of video frames 118 on display 102. As describedfurther herein, the received video frames 118 may be associated withdifferent frame types.

As set forth above, video frames 118 may be communicated in one of aplurality of different types for data compression purposes. For example,video frames 118 may be encoded in video compression formats, such as inITU-T or MPEG video formats, where only the difference betweensuccessive frames is encoded. For instance, in a scene in which a personwalks past a stationary background, only the moving region will need tobe represented. The moving region may be represented by motion vectors,image data, or a combination thereof. The parts of the scene that arenot changing do not need to be sent repeatedly.

In one embodiment, video frame types include I-frames, P-frames, andB-frames. Typically, video frames are segmented into macroblocks.Individual prediction types may be selected on a macroblock basis ratherthan being the same for the entire picture as follows: I-frames maycontain only intra macroblocks; P-frames may contain only intramacroblocks or predicted macroblocks; and B-frames may contain intra,predicted, or bi-predicted macroblocks. Further, for example, in videocodec standard H.264, the frame may be segmented into smaller regions,referred to as slices, and rather than using I-, B-, and P-frame typeselections. An encoder may select the prediction style based on eachindividual slice.

The term “picture” as referred to herein is a more general term than theterm “frame”. A picture may be either a frame or a field. A frame is animage captured at some instant in time and a field is a set of everyother line that form an image at some instant in time. When sendingvideo in interlaced-scan format, the coding of pictures as individualfields is often used rather than coding of complete frames.

An I-frame (an intra picture or slice) is a frame coded withoutreference to another frame other than itself. An I-frame may begenerated by an encoder to create a random access point for allowing adecoder to start decoding properly at the frame. Further, an I-frame maybe generated when differentiating image details prohibits the generationof effective P- or B-frames. Often, I-frames are used for random accessand as references for the decoding of other pictures. Intra refreshperiods of a half-second may be used on applications such as digitaltelevision broadcast and DVD storage. Longer refresh periods may be usedin applications such as videoconferencing.

A P-frame (a predicted picture or slice) is a frame requiring priordecoding of some other picture(s) in order to be decoded. A P-frame maycontain image data, motion vector displacements, or combinationsthereof. Further, a P-frame may reference previous pictures in decodingorder. In some standards, such as MPEG-2, only one previously-decodedpicture is used as a reference during decoding. These standards requirethat the picture precedes the P-picture in presentation sequence. Instandard H.264, multiple previously-decoded pictures may be referencedduring decoding. In this standard, any arbitrary presentation orderrelationship with respect to the picture may be used for its prediction.

A B-frame (a bi-predictive picture or slice) is a frame requiring priordecoding of some other picture(s) in order to be decoded. A B-frame maycontain image data, motion vector displacements, or combinationsthereof. Further, a bi-frame may include some prediction modes that forma prediction of a motion region (e.g., a macroblock or a smaller area)by averaging the predictions obtained using two differentpreviously-decoded reference regions. In some standards, such as MPEG-2,B-pictures are not used as references for the prediction of otherpictures. As a result, a lower quality encoding can be used for suchB-pictures because the loss of detail does not harm the predictionquality for a subsequent picture. In standard H.264, a B-frame may beused as a reference for decoding other pictures. Further, in the MPEG-2standard, two previously-decoded pictures may be used as referenceduring decoding. One of the previously-decoded pictures is required toprecede the B-picture in the presentation sequence, while the other ofthe previously-decoded pictures is required to follow the B-picture. InH.264, one or more previously-decoded pictures may be used as referencesduring decoding. Further, the previously-decoded picture(s) can be inany sequence order with respect to the B-picture.

System 100 may include means for determining whether a type of a videoframe for presentation on a display has a predetermined relationship toa priority level of a message. For example, a policy selector 126 of adisplay controller 124 may determine whether a type of a video frame forpresentation on display 102 has a predetermined relationship to apriority level of message 104. Policy selector 126 may be configured toreceive messages and information indicating their priority levels.

Table 1 below shows exemplary messages and associated priority levels.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Messages and Associated Priority Levels MessagePriority Message Level “Catching fire, please turn off” 1 “Wateroverflowing” 2 “Load unbalanced” 3 “No water” 4 “Cycle complete” 5“Battery running low” 3 “Requested songs available” 4 “Downloadscomplete” 5

The exemplary messages shown in Table 1 are messages that may bereceived from a washing machine and a media player (such as the IPOD™media player, available from Apple Computer, Inc., of Cupertino,Calif.). The messages including the text “Catching fire, please turnoff,” “Water overflowing,” “Load unbalanced,” “No water,” and “Cyclecomplete” may be received from a washing machine. The messages includingthe text “Battery running low,” “Requested songs available,” and“Downloads complete” may be received from a media player. The prioritylevels can range from 1 to 5 with priority level 1 being the highestpriority level and priority level 5 being the lowest priority level. Inone example, message handler 114 may determine a priority level of amessage based on the message's text by performing a lookup in a tablesuch as Table 1.

Policy selector 126 may be configured to determine whether a type ofvideo frame for presentation on a display has a predeterminedrelationship to a priority level of a message based on a predeterminedset of policies. The set of policies may be stored in a policy store128. Policies may be defined in terms of video frame types. Policiescorresponding to priority levels may include duration specificationsand/or individual frame specifications. Further, policies may be appliedbased on a type of frame available for presentation on the display.

Table 2 below shows exemplary policies applied to messages based on thepriority levels of the messages.

TABLE 2 Exemplary Policies Applied to Messages Message Policy (EnglishPriority Language Frame Level Description) Specification Duration 1Present on display with First available 30 first incoming frame (I-seconds frame, P-frame, or B- frame) for 30 seconds irrespective of allfollowing frames 2 Present on display prior I-frame 30 to presenting anI-frame seconds for 30 seconds 3 Present on display with Not I-frames 30frames 30 frames preceding an I-frame

The exemplary message priority levels shown in Table 2 are prioritylevels associated with policies for presenting messages on a display.Messages having priority level 1 are presented on a display with a firstincoming frame and subsequent frames for a predetermined time durationof 30 seconds irrespective of the frames following the first incomingframe. In this example, the first incoming frame and the followingframes may be an I-frame, a P-frame, or a B-frame. Messages havingpriority level 2 are presented on a display prior to presenting anI-frame for 30 seconds. Messages having priority level 3 are presentedon a display with a predetermined number of frames (30 frames) precedingthe presentation of an I-frame.

Policy selector 126 may use a priority level of a received message forsearching policy store 128 for a policy corresponding to the prioritylevel. The message and its corresponding priority level and the policymay be communicated to a policy engine 130 for use in associating one ormore incoming video frames with the message. For example, message 104and its corresponding priority level and policy may be communicated topolicy engine 130. Policy selector 126 may determine whether a type of avideo frame has a predetermined relationship to the priority level of amessage by comparing the priority level of the message to types of aplurality of video frames.

System 100 may include means for presenting a received message on adisplay based on a video frame type determination. For example, policyengine 130 may be configured to control display 102 to present message104 based on a video frame type determination of frames 118. Inparticular, the policy for a received message and the frames typesdetermined for received message may be used for determining which frameor frames to present the message with on display 102. Display 102 isoperable to present frames and messages to an operator in accordancewith control commands provided by display controller 124. Policy engine130 may track received video frames and video frames sent to display102. Further, policy engine 130 may modify video frames to includemessages and send the modified video frames to display 102 forpresentation. Thus, policy engine 130 is responsible for application ofpolicies to the presentation of video frames and messages.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for presentinga message on a display based on video frame types presented on thedisplay according to an embodiment of the subject matter describedherein. Referring to FIG. 2, in block 200 the process provides forreceiving a message having one of a plurality of priority levels forpresentation on a display. For example, a process associated with system100 may receive message 104 for presentation on display 102. In thisexample, message 104 may have a priority level of 3 as shown in Table 2above. In block 202, it may be determined whether a type of a videoframe for presentation on the display has a predetermined relationshipto the priority level of the message. For example, display controller124 may receive message 114 and its determined priority level frommessage handler 114 and may receive video frames 118 from video decoder122 for presentation on display 102. In this example, display controller124 may determine whether a type of at least one of video frames 118 hasa predetermined relationship to the priority level of message 104. Inblock 204, the received message may be presented on the display based onthe video frame type determination. For example, display controller 124may control display 102 to present message 104 at least substantiallysimultaneously with one or more of frames 118 based on the video typedetermination.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for use bysystem 100 shown in FIG. 1 for presenting a message on a display basedon video frame types presented on the display according to an embodimentof the subject matter described herein. Referring to FIG. 3, in block300 message 104 may be received by message handler 114 of system 100from one of media player 106, appliance 110, and computer 112 forpresentation on display 102. Other exemplary devices that maycommunicate messages to system 100 include a phone (such as a mobilephone), a PDA, any suitable electronic device, a network component, anda security alarm device. Exemplary messages may include information suchas status information, alert information, reminder information, warninginformation, and calendar information. Messages may be communicated tosystem 100 via network 108 by using any suitable network communicationtechnique.

In block 302, message handler 114 may determine a priority level ofmessage 104. The priority level of message 104 may be determined byexamining message 104. For example, message 104 may indicate itspriority level. In this example, message handler 114 may determine thepriority level based on the indication by message 104.

In one example, message handler 114 may determine the priority levelbased on the text of message 104. In this example, message handler 114may determine the priority level by parsing the text of the message,such as shown in the message text and associated priority levels shownin Table 1 above.

In one example, message handler 114 may determine the priority levelbased on a message type of message 104. In this example, message handler114 may determine the priority level based on message types such aswhether the message is status type message, an alert type message, areminder type message, a warning type message, and a calendar typemessage. Priority levels may be associated with a message based on itstype. For example, a warning type message may have a higher prioritylevel than a calendar type message.

In one example, message handler 114 may determine the priority level ofmessage 104 based on the device communicating or originating message104. In this example, a message received from a security alarm devicemay have a higher priority than a message received from a media playeror home appliance.

In another example, the priority level of message 104 for use indetermining whether a type of video frame for presentation on a displaymay be determined based on a combination of the device communicating ororiginating message 104 and the text of message 104 or a priority levelindicated by message 104. Table 3 below shows exemplary priority levelsbased on a message and a device originating or communicating themessage.

TABLE 3 Exemplary Priority Levels Based on a Message and Device DeviceMessage Message priority level Washer “Catching fire, Device priority:2+ please turn off” Message priority: 1 Message priority level: 1.5Dryer “Clothes dry” Device priority: 3+ Message priority: 2 Messagepriority level: 2.5 Washer “Water Device priority: 2+ overflowing”Message priority: 1 Message priority level: 1.5 Washer “No water” Devicepriority: 2+ Message priority: 2 Message priority level: 2 Washer “CycleDevice priority: 2+ complete” Message priority: 3 Message prioritylevel: 2.5 Security “Window open” Device priority: 1+ Alarm Messagepriority: 1 Message priority level: 1

The exemplary message priority levels for use in determining whether atype of video frame for presentation on a display may be determinedbased on the contents or a priority level indicated by a message and adevice originating the message. In this example, the device prioritylevel and the message priority level are averaged for resulting in amessage priority level for use in determining whether a type of videoframe for presentation on a display.

In block 304, policy selector 126 may retrieve a policy from policystore 128 corresponding to the determined priority level of message 104.For example, policy selector 126 may retrieve one of the policies asshown in Table 2 above based on the determined priority level of 1-3 ofmessage 104.

In block 306, policy engine 130 may receive a decoded video frame 118from video decoder 122. Video frames 118 may be received from videodecoder 122 in a sequence for presentation on display 102. The types ofreceived video frames 118 may be compared one-by-one in sequence todetermine whether each video frame matches a policy for message 104(block 308). If a received video frame does not match the policy, thenext video frame in the sequence is received and compared to the policyin blocks 306 and 308 until a matching video frame is received.

When a matching video frame is received, message 104 is associated withthe matching video frame in accordance with the policy for presentationon display 102 (block 310). Further, message 104 may also be matchedwith one or more other video frames in accordance with the policy. Forexample, a policy may require presenting a message on a display with 30frames preceding an I-frame. In this example, a set of frames arematched against the policy for identifying 30 frames preceding anI-frame. Further, in this example, the message is associated with theidentified 30 frames for presentation on display 102.

In block 312, message 104 may be presented on display 102 with the oneor more associated video frames 118. Policy engine 130 may communicatemessage 104 and the one or more video frames 118 to display 102 andcontrol display 102 to present message 104 and the one or more videoframes 118. Message 104 may be presented with a video frame on display102 in accordance with any suitable insertion technique. In one example,a buffer may be set during decoding for managing the presentation of amessage and video frame. In another example, a message may be insertedin a video frame presented on a digital television without decoding theentire frame, as described in the document found at Internet URLhttp://www.digitaltelevision.com/dtvbook/appendixa.shtml.

In one embodiment, a user may interact with a message presented on adisplay. For example, a user may input commands with interactionfunctionality of a digital television in response to a message beingpresented. Further, presented messages may require interaction from auser. For instance, a message received from a toaster oven may requireinput from a user such as the user selecting an OK button presented onthe display. If a user does not provide input, a system may communicatethe message to another display for presentation of the message to auser.

In one embodiment, a policy associated with a message may includeperforming an action in addition to presenting the message on thedisplay. In particular, the policy may include performing a displaycontrol function. An exemplary display control function may includepausing the display of video frames for a period of time. For example, amessage may be received from a toaster oven indicating that the toasteroven should be turned off or the oven will catch on fire. In thisexample, the message may be presented on the display, and thepresentation of video frames on the display may be paused until the userinteracts with the message. Once the user has taken the appropriateaction in response to the message such as selecting an OK button, thepresentation of the video frame stream on the display may continue.Alternatively, display control functions may expire at the end of a timeduration in which the user has not responded. An operator interface maybe configured to allow the user to interact with the message.

Table 4 below shows an exemplary policy applied to a message having apriority level of 1.

TABLE 4 Exemplary Policy Applied Priority Level 1 Message Policy Message(English Priority Language Frame Level Description) SpecificationDuration Action 1 Pause the Frame 10 seconds Pause display preceding thebefore an I- I-frame frame for 10 seconds

In this example, the policy requires pausing a display before an I-framefor 10 seconds for a message having a priority level of 1. The messagemay be presented on the display with a frame of any type that precedesan I-frame. The frame preceding the I-frame and the message may bepresented on the display for 10 seconds. Next, the I-frame may bepresented and followed by other frames in sequence.

In one embodiment, a policy may include specifications for properties ofseveral video frames. For example, a policy may specify that a messagebe presented only when there are a predetermined number of video framesof a particular type. In this policy scenario, video frames may bebuffered in order to find a set of video frames in sequence that matchthe policy. When the predetermined number of sequenced video frames arefound, the message may be presented with the video frames.

In one embodiment, two or more messages may be simultaneously presentedwith a video frame. A plurality of messages that each has one of aplurality of priority levels may be received. It may be determinedwhether the type of a video frame has a predetermined relationship tothe priority levels of the messages. Further, the received messages maybe presented with the video frame on the display based on the videoframe type determination. Further, the messages may be presented withindividual portions of the video frame based on the priority levels ofthe messages. For example, a first message with a higher priority than asecond message may be displayed in the bottom right of a display screen,while the second message is displayed at the bottom left of a displayscreen. The messages may be inserted in a video frame of a typespecified by the policy.

In one embodiment, one of a plurality of display properties of a displaymay be associated with a priority level of a received message. Thereceived message may be presented on the display in accordance with oneof the plurality of display properties. The display property used forpresenting the message may be based upon a priority level of the messageand/or a type of frame with which the frame is being presented.Exemplary display properties include text font, text size, text color,message transparency, fade in, and fade out.

The subject matter described herein may be advantageous, for example, inapplications for managing the presentation of message content on adisplay. In particular, the subject matter described herein maydetermine a priority level of received messages and control thepresentation of the messages with video frames based on priority levelsassociated with the messages. This feature may be advantageous to adisplay user, for example, because messages of a high priority levelthat are more important to a user may be presented on a display in a waythat is different than less important messages of a low priority level.As a result, users will be more likely to read messages that areimportant and less likely to be distracted by messages that are lessimportant. Further, a user may be less likely to disable the display ofmessages, because priority levels of messages are distinguished forpresenting messages of different priorities in different ways.

It will be understood that various details of the subject matterdescribed herein may be changed without departing from the scope of thesubject matter described herein. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptionis for the purpose of illustration only, and not for the purpose oflimitation, as the subject matter described herein is defined by theclaims as set forth hereinafter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for presenting a message on a displaybased on a type of video image data for presentation on the display, themethod comprising: receiving an indication of one of a plurality ofpriority levels associated with a message for presentation on a display;determining whether a type of a video image data for presentation on thedisplay has a predetermined relationship to the priority level of themessage; and presenting the message on the display based on the videoimage data type determination.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein thevideo image data is at least one of a slice, a field, and a macroblock.3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message includes informationselected from the group consisting of status information, alertinformation, reminder information, warning information, and calendarinformation.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether a typeof a video image data for presentation on the display has apredetermined relationship to the priority level of the message includescomparing the priority level of the message to types of a plurality ofvideo image data.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein presenting themessage on the display includes presenting the message on the displaysubstantially simultaneously with at least one of the plurality of videoimage data based on the comparison of the priority level of the messageto the types of the plurality of video image data.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein presenting the message on the display includespresenting the message on the display based on a policy associated withthe priority level of the message.
 7. The method of claim 1 whereinpresenting the message on the display includes presenting the message onthe display for a predetermined time period.
 8. The method of claim 1wherein the video image data is among a plurality of video image datafor presentation on the display, and wherein presenting the message onthe display includes presenting the message on the display with at leastone of the plurality of video image data at a sequence interval withrespect to the video image data.
 9. The method of claim 1 whereinpresenting the message on the display includes presenting the message onthe display at a time interval with respect to presentation of the videoframe on the display.
 10. The method of claim 1 comprising: receivingthe message; determining a type of an electronic-based deviceoriginating the message; and determining a priority level of the messagebased on the determined type of the electronic-based device.
 11. Themethod of claim 1 comprising: determining a message type of the message;and determining a priority level of the message based on the determinedmessage type.
 12. The method of claim 1 comprising performing a displaycontrol function based on the priority level of the message.
 13. Themethod of claim 1 comprising associating a display property with thepriority level of the message, and wherein presenting the message on thedisplay includes presenting the message on the display in accordancewith the display property.
 14. A system for presenting a message on adisplay based on a type of video image data for presentation on thedisplay, the system comprising: a message handler configured to receivean indication of one of a plurality of priority levels associated with amessage for presentation on a display; and a display controllerconfigured to determine whether a type of a video image data forpresentation on the display has a predetermined relationship to thepriority level of the message and configured to control the display topresent the message on the display based on the video image data typedetermination.
 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the video image datais at least one of a slice, a field, and a macroblock.
 16. The system ofclaim 14 wherein the message includes information selected from thegroup consisting of status information, alert information, reminderinformation, warning information, and calendar information.
 17. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein the display controller is configured tocompare the priority level of the message to types of a plurality ofvideo image data.
 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the displaycontroller is configured to control the display to present the messagesubstantially simultaneously with at least one of the plurality of videoimage data based on the comparison of the priority level of the messageto the types of the plurality of video image data.
 19. The system ofclaim 14 wherein the display controller is configured to control thedisplay to present the message based on a policy associated with thepriority level of the message.
 20. The system of claim 14 wherein thedisplay controller is configured to control the display to present themessage for a predetermined time period.
 21. The system of claim 14wherein the video image data is among a plurality of video image datafor presentation on the display, and wherein the display controller isconfigured to control the display to present the message with at leastone of the plurality of video image data at a sequence interval withrespect to the video image data.
 22. The system of claim 14 wherein thedisplay controller is configured to control the display to present themessage at a time interval with respect to presentation of the videoimage data on the display.
 23. The system of claim 14 wherein themessage handler is configured to determine a type of an electronic-baseddevice originating the message; and wherein the display controller isconfigured to determine a priority level of the message based on thedetermined type of the electronic-based device.
 24. The system of claim23 wherein message indicates a type of an electronic-based device, andwherein the display controller is configured to determine the prioritylevel of the message based on the type of the electronic-based deviceindicated by the message.
 25. The system of claim 14 wherein the displaycontroller is configured to perform a display control function based onthe priority level of the message.
 26. The system of claim 14 whereinthe display controller is configured to control the presentation of astream of video image data on the display based on the priority level ofthe message.
 27. The system of claim 14 wherein the display controlleris configured to associate a display property with the priority level ofthe message, and wherein the display controller is configured to controlthe display to present the message on the display in accordance with thedisplay property.
 28. A non-transitory computer readable medium storinga computer program, executable by a machine, for presenting a message ona display based on a type of video image data for presentation on thedisplay, the computer program comprising executable instructions for:receiving an indication of one of a plurality of priority levelsassociated with a message for presentation on a display; determiningwhether a type of a video image data for presentation on the display hasa predetermined relationship to the priority level of the message; andpresenting the message on the display based on the video image data typedetermination.